Surfin' Safari Revisited by Peter Reum

SURFIN' SAFARI REVISITED by Peter Reum

Commonly regarded as The Beach Boys first album, Surfin' Safari has been critically underrated when compared to Brian Wilson's later efforts. As is well known, The Beach Boys were signed by Nik Venet upon Nik's audition of the 5 track demo tape the Beach Boys recorded with Murry Wilson. In the Mid Seventies, I had the chance to speak with Nik by phone several times while researching. Nik regarded Surfin' Safari as a "good beginning" and indicated that the biggest challenge in recording was "dealing with Murry." Nik felt that Brian had rehearsed the Beach Boys thoroughly, and essentially led the band in the studio. When asked to expand on his opinion, Nik indicated that Murry would "be critical of the Beach Boys after every take." Brian became somewhat frustrated, but perservered.

Surfin' Safari, as released by Capitol with 409 as a flip side, was a break out in Phoenix, Arizona first. The initial version had been cut at World Pacific Studios on February 8, 1962. That version would see American release in January 1970, although another take was issued on Ariola in Germany, and is rare. Both sides of the single were played throughout the Southwestern USA,, and I recall hearing both on clear channel radio KOMA in Oklahoma City. The anecdotal background of 409's recording is already famous, but suffice to say, Gary Usher drove past Brian's Wollensak Tape Recorder several times, waking up Murry and the neighborhood. The Beach Boys' first Capitol single was estimated to have sold between 800,000 and 900,000 copies nationwide. It began the pattern of a surf tune and car tune on a Beach Boys' single which was repeated with Surfin' USA/Shut Down, and Surfer Girl/Little Deuce Coupe.

As a premier album,  Surfin' Safari has long suffered from comparisons to Brian Wilson's later efforts. Lenny Kaye in 1972 compiled a set of so called Garage Band tunes under the title Nuggets. The contents were representative of a variety of sections of the country. If one were to play Surfin' Safari/409 as a part of this set, their sounds would blend easily with the rest of the set. There are variety of tunes, but the  Nuggets set became a benchmark for the punk rock movement in the mid Seventies. It was encouraged that young producers during the Punk movement find unsigned bands and record them, and issue the singles in limited editions. Such labels as Stiff and Bomp were well known for their breaking of new talent. It is unusual that people have not identified Surfin' Safari as a Pre Punk New Wave album. The sounds inside, most of them recorded in one day at Capitol Studios, fit right in with mid Seventies New Wave.  If there ever was a pre New Wave musician, it would be Dennis Wilson. Dennis's reputation in Hawthorne both as a tough guy and teenage lothario are legion. Dennis alone made The Beach Boys New Wave before it was acceptable.  

Brian Wilson's accomplishments as an in studio producer on Surfin' Safari album are also underrated. The album has a primitive but clear quality to it that belies the time in which it was recorded. It is as well recorded as many of the songs featured on Nuggets from later in the Sixties. The Beach Boys' musicianship on Surfin' Safari is basic, but competent. Dennis kept a solid backbeat on the album, and Carl's lead guitar is a major strength. As a slice of teenage life in Southern California in the early Sixties, this album hits the bullseye. County Fair is a Brian/Gary Usher tune that shows the influence of the Coasters and other Leiber/Stoller groups. In essence, it is a comical send up of a weakling who got lucky and had a cute girl on the line. The identity of the carnival game barker is Nik Venet. It becomes clearer as the song goes along that the hero of the tune is going home alone. The song's genius is that it is, and always has been a summer treat to take a date to any county fair across the Midwestern and Western US. Here in vastly rural Montana, our county fair is still the highlight of the summer. Had Capitol decided to release County Fair as an A side instead of Ten Little Indians, the Beach Boys third single (second on Capitol) might have been a national hit. The melody to County Fair was recycled, as Brian was prone to do, as I Do, cut by The Beach Boys and Castells. Ten Little Indians, besides being somewhat naively derogatory to Native Americans, has a driving backbeat and reached number 49 on the national charts, which would be their lowest position on the charts until Bluebirds Over the Mountain in 1968. One of my prized possessions for many years was a Swedish picture sleeve, where Ten Little Indians reached number 6.  

Chug-a-Lug has references to a number of the Beach Boys' friends of the time. There are little slice of life observations about all of The Beach Boys and some of their close friends. Brian plays a nice organ bridge, followed by some tight guitar from Carl. There is some slapback on Carl's guitar that makes the solo immediately recognizable as a surf tune, even though the subject matter is cruising and hanging out. The song foreshadowed the Mid Seventies movie Hollywood Knights, which featured a cameo appearance by Humble Harv of Smile notoriety. Little Girl (You're My Miss America) is an early Herb Alpert/Vincent Catalano song, recorded at The Beach Boys marathon session for Surfin' Safari's tunes on September 5, 1962. It is probably most notable for being Dennis Wilson's first lead vocal. While his vocal is a little weak, the purity of his voice is most notable, especially when contrasted with the mid Seventies. Mike Love's refrain vocal is prominent and nicely done. Perhaps the thing most missing in this tune is a bridge, and it sounds less sophisticated than The Beach Boys' own songs on this album. Of course, Herb Alpert later became half of Irving/Almo, which bought Sea of Tunes from Murry Wilson.

409 and Surfin are earlier recordings placed on the album because of their status as regional and national hits. 409 was cut at Western Studios by Murry Wilson, and to his credit, it has a punk feel to it that makes it a worthy follow up to earlier car songs like Maybelline and Thunder Road. Once again, though it is a car song, Carl's solo is pure surf guitar, quite beholden to Chuck Berry. What I love so much about this tune is how the engine roars at the beginning, with occasional appearances throughout the song. The backbeat doesn't even kick in until the eighth measure, with the rhythm guitar keeping a perfect time with the drums. Surfin' is legendary, and the background vocals owe a debt to Jan Berry, who cut the tune with The Beach Boys as their backing band on their Take Linda Surfin' album. The tune was cut by Hite Morgan as one of several primitive recordings that were first issued in 1969. The track was licensed by Hite Morgan to Capitol for inclusion on this album. Rehearsals for this tune were recorded on Brian's Wollensak recorder, and were included on Capitol's Hawthorne, California archive set.

Heads I Win, Tails You Lose is probably based on a colloquial expression from the time, and features some interesting vocals from Mike in that he sings in a rather high register for him, then counters with a baritone on the title phrase. The song is competent, but is one of the weaker tunes on the album. Summertime Blues is a rare Brian/Carl lead vocal with Mike countering on baritone on the response. The guitars are nicely miked, but cannot match the original by Eddie Cochran, which was cut at Gold Star Recorders with its famous echo chamber. On Wikipedia, Carl and David are credited as lead vocals. Because David was so infrequent as a singer, it is hard to tell. It sounds like it might be Carl doubling to me. Cuckoo Clock returns to the use of organ on the bridge, similar to other tunes on side one recorded for the album session The lead vocal is by Brian, and he nails it. The lyrics, probably by Gary Usher, are fairly pedestrian.

My nomination for the album's underrated tune would be Moon Dawg. Nik Venet, in my conversation with him, indicated that Derry Weaver had played the lead guitar on the session, duplicating his work on his single from 1960 on World Pacific. Nik Venet also indicated that he did the wolf howling on The Beach Boys' version, as he did on Derry Weaver's version released in 1960 on World Pacific. To me, the guitar sounds like a Carl Wilson solo. At any rate, the song to me is a standout on the album, and foreshadows many of the instrumentals that are well done on Surfin' USA. The album ends with a Mike Love lead vocal on The Shift, which was an A line dress style popular in the early Sixties. There is a nice Carl Wilson guitar solo on the song that is probably the highlight of the record.

Outtakes from the sessions exist, from both the Western Studio demo tape, and a session on September 13, 1962, a week after the main album session. Lonely Sea surfaced on the next album, Surfin' USA. Had it been placed on Surfin' Safari, the album would have been stronger. Their Hearts Were Full of Spring was recorded acapella on Live in London. Cindy O Cindy is a cover version of a Fifties recordings by several easy listening singers. Land Ahoy and Baker Man are Brian Wilson songs, according to  BMI's database, and were included in the two album reissue of Surfin; Safari and Surfin'USA. A second version of Judy was recorded on the Western Studio demo tape.

Overall, Surfin' Safari suffers from comparisons with Brian and The Beach Boys later work. Accepted as what it is, it is a promising beginning document which competes well with later Garage Rock and New Wave albums similarly recorded. Take a listen, then play Nuggets or similar compilations to it, such as the Pebbles series. It will shed new light on this seminal album. 

Copyright-Peter Reum 2012---all rights reserved